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We have to be careful not to be guilty of what Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for—what I call the Red Sky Syndrome. If you recall, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they had an ability to predict the weather. They could look at the sky, and if it was red at night, they would say, "Sailor’s delight." And if it was red in the morning, they would say, "Sailors take warning." But they missed the signs of the times, and they missed the first advent of Christ. They missed the coming of the Messiah right in their midst in spite of the fact that a host of biblical prophecies heralded the appearance of Jesus on the scene—and Jesus rebuked them for it.
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The making of peace is one of the most important motifs of all of Scripture. In fact, the whole drama of redemption involves the pursuit of peace in the midst of a war that spans the whole world and almost all of history since creation. In Genesis 3, we read of the fall of the human race; this is not only an isolated historical event but the beginning of a worldwide situation of hostility and estrangement. In the New Testament, the gospel is articulated in terms of reconciliation: God in Christ was reconciling the world to Himself, and we who believe in Him have been given a ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–20).
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Let me invite you to take a simple word-association test. The usual procedure for such a test is that the administrator says a word and the subject responds with the first word that comes to mind. Thus, the word horse might immediately prompt the word cart from some people, but race (as in horse race) from others.
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Of all the Reformation-era catechisms, perhaps none is as well-loved as the Heidelberg Catechism. In the opening question and answer, the personal and distinctive tone of the catechism becomes evident. "What is your only comfort in life and in death?" This is not a theoretical question—"What would be necessary if God were to comfort sinners?" Rather, this is a very practical question—"How do I have comfort as long as I live and then when I die?"
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I've had the question asked of me, "Is it true that you are a Christian rationalist?" I said, "By no means! That's a contradiction in terms. A rationalist is somebody who embraces a philosophy that sets itself over and against Christianity." And so, while a true Christian is not a rationalist, the Christian faith is certainly rational.
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At the heart of Christian ethics is the conviction that our firm basis for knowing the true, the good, and the right is divine revelation. Christianity is not a life system that operates on the basis of speculative reason or pragmatic expediency. We assert boldly that God has revealed to us who He is, who we are, and how we are expected to relate to Him. He has revealed for us that which is pleasing to Him and commanded by Him. Revelation provides a supernatural aid in understanding the good. This point is so basic and so obvious that it has often been overlooked and obscured as we search for answers to particular questions.
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In a profound sense, this world is not our home. When we are away from our bodies we will be "at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). We are not to be "conformed to this age" (Rom. 12:2). Our lives "are hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). We have been "transferred out of the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son" (Col. 1:13). We have "passed out of death and into life" (1 John 3:14). We are exiles and strangers here.
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There are times when we have to seize the moment. In football, the quarterback sees his wide receiver breaking free from the defenders and knows that the time has come to throw the ball. In romance, a young man reaches for a phone to ask a pretty girl out for dinner, knowing that the opportunity will never come again. The same is true in evangelism. God presents us with opportunities to point others to Jesus, and it is important that we know what to say when those opportunities arise.
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Have you, as a Christian, ever been accused of legalism? That word is often bandied about in the Christian subculture incorrectly. For example, some people might call John a legalist because they view him as narrow-minded. But the term legalism does not refer to narrow-mindedness. In reality, legalism manifests itself in many subtle ways.
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